“I began to realize there were a lot of stories
out there in the local business community and there might be
things of interest to the public,” said Sigall. “It
wasn’t just business facts; it was also local nostalgia
and trivia. People like to look back at how things were when
they were growing up. Many of these stories seem to bring back
memories of growing up in Hawai‘i for folks.”
Sigall has always tried to make his graduate-level marketing
classes practical, not just relying on textbook theories and
case histories. He has students team with actual companies,
participate in business meetings, understand the organizations
objectives,
and finally, have the students initiate a market plan for the
company. In several cases, student work has been utilized by
the company. The main idea was to get students out of the classroom,
and actively networking with local professionals. These assignments
started to evolve into something bigger.
Sigall tasked his students to meet company executives and find
out about the origins and background of the group. Over the
semesters, interesting stories began to trickle back. Sigall
combined those
tidbits with his own research into Hawai‘i business history
and knew he had something of interest. He discovered, among
other things, that Meadow Gold Dairies got its name in early
1901 when
Continental Creamery held an employee contest to name their
new butter.
“
The material began coming in and a lot of it was fascinating,” said
Sigall. “I began to realize we could perhaps put all
of this together into book form.”
While Sigall had a good idea that the public would be interested
in the bits and pieces of Hawaiiana, he resists taking credit
for the development.
“
Since it began, this project has been very organic,” said
Sigall. “It took on a life of its own, I just claimed
it. And a lot of credit goes to my students; they are the reason
this all came about, and their research makes up about a third
of the books content.”
Once the project crossed from being a semester assignment
to research for a book, Sigall changed the ground rules.
Out of
fairness, he gave students the option to complete alternative
assignments. None took the option. Instead, they seemed to
tackle the project with additional enthusiasm.
“
They really got excited when they learned their research could
be put into book form,” said Sigall. “Many of the
students saw it as a way to permanently preserve their college
work, to be part of something that will be read for decades.”
Once the task began in earnest, Sigall quickly learned
that writing a book wasn’t all that easy. There was the constant editing,
the ongoing research, and the verification process with companies
featured, and the proofreading. Out of these needs, a “book
team” was established. These students volunteered to
help beyond the scope of the initial assignment.
“
The book team was essential to this project,” said Sigall. “They
are a big reason that we were able to put everything together.”
HPU graduate Eimi Ashizawa (MBA 2003) was a member of
that team and credits the experience as an essential
part of
her education.
Ashizawa said that as an international student from Japan,
the work was challenging. But her work in Sigall’s class
and participation on the book project gave her more confidence
in
business interaction.
“
Being a part of the class and book team helped me meet people
and learn things I could never get from a textbook or class lecture,” said
Ashizawa. “The experience will really help me as I go
on job interviews and talk with other business people.”
Ashizawa’s research gave her added knowledge in what
it takes to run a business, as well as keeping the enterprise
dynamic.
“
After my involvement in this project, I was more interested in
businesses in general, and had a better understanding of Hawai‘i
business practices and history,” she said. “I found
that every business has its own unique story and saw the founder’s
effort to run the business for a long time, and how the business
evolves over time. As a marketing major, learning the skills
to sell or advertise products from the research I conducted
was invaluable.”
Sigall is excited by the book’s current popularity, but
plans for additional volumes remain fluid. He emphasizes the “organic” nature
of the project. For now, he maintains a Web site for the book
(http://www.companieswekeep.com), and says new stories are
still coming in.
“
It’s almost like I’m on a galloping horse. I’m
enjoying the ride as it goes along,” said Sigall. “I’ll
just stay in the saddle and see where it takes me.” |
